Business for a Fair Minimum Wage is a national network of business owners and executives who believe a fair minimum wage makes good business sense

Daily Record: Menendez honors ‘50 years of green’ for Parsippany business

By Michael IzzoDaily Record (NJ), April 13, 2017

PARSIPPANY – An environmentally conscious business celebrated its “50 years of green” in the township Thursday, with Senator Robert Menendez stopping by the facility to address employees. Menendez (D-NJ) congratulated Earth Friendly Products, known for its ECOS line of products, on its 50th anniversary in Parsippany. ... What began as a passion project in a garage is now a global industry leader in 60 worldwide markets, embracing higher standards without charging higher prices, Menendez said. ...

State Senator Joseph Pennacchio (R-26) also congratulated the company on its anniversary. ... Pennocchio thanked Earth Friendly Products for employing 60 people in his district among its hundreds of employees nationwide.

“There is nothing more noble you can do for a person than give them a job,” he said, crediting the company for providing its employees with a $17 per hour minimum wage, $10 per hour higher than the federal minimum. “If you want to attract good employees, you want to retain them, you have to pay them. Sometimes you think eco-friendly and business are diametrically opposed, but they’re not. There is no difference between eco-friendly and business interests. And you are a strong example in Parsippany.” ...

“The truth is if more of America’s biggest corporations embraced the values championed by ECOS, we would have a safer climate, we would have more good paying jobs, and a more prosperous, sustainable economy for all Americans,” Menendez said.

“So when I hear big oil lobbyists say environmental standards are bad for business, I’m going to tell them the next time they come to visit me, come to ECOS, a green manufacturer here in New Jersey that exports products to customers in 60 countries and wears the EPA’s highest designation as a badge of honor.

“And when I hear my colleagues in congress say that big corporations can’t afford a higher minimum wage I’m going to tell them about ECOS, a company that proves paying workers a living wage is good for the bottom line.

“And when I hear them say that immigrants are a drag on America’s economy, I’m going to point to ECOS, a company that began with a hardworking immigrant who was willing to dream big." ...